Device for exercising babies



NOV. 23, 1954 ROBINS 2,695,049

DEVICE FOR EXERCISING BABIES Filed Jan. 24 1951 form the front of the device.

United States Patent a DEVICE F OR EXERCISING BABIES Harry Robins, London, England Application January 24, 1951, Serial No. 207,484 Ciairns priority, application Great Britain January 26, 1950 3 Claims. (Cl. v155-24) This invention relates to devices for exercising babies and has for its principal object to provide a device which can easily be disassembled and packed away and 'reassembled as desired. A further object of the invention is to provide an exercising device which is stable when in use and can only be tipped over with difficulty.

A still further object is to provide an exercising device having a seat which is resiliently mounted to provide added comfort and amusement for the child using the device.

Accordingly the present invention includes an exercising device for babies comprising a plurality of tubes removably joined together to form an upper and lower framework spaced apart by further tubes, wherein the upper framework is rectangular and the lower framework has six or more sides, device being supported on wheels and having a seat supported by the said framework, the front of the device being situated between two of said further tubes.

Preferably the seat is resiliently mounted on the upper portion of the device and is provided with apertures through which the childs legs are placed to allow the child to walk and thus propel the device.

Furthermore, the seat is preferably provided with handles and the resilient mounts are removable from the framework or from the seat to allow the child to be carried in the seat.

In order to stabilize the device and thereby reduce the tendency for it to tip over, the front of the lower framework is wider than the rear.

In order that the invention may be more easily understood and readily put into practice, a convenient embodiment thereof will hereinafter be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawing in Which:

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of the devlce according to the invention; and

Figure 2 shows a plan view of the device.

Referring to the drawing, the device is formed by means of a series of tubes 1, and 8 secured together by rods 2, 6 and 7 which are welded together to form corner pieces as desired so that the rods are pushed into the tubes, thus enabling the tubes 1, 5 and 8 to be olned together to form a framework.

As will be seen from the drawing, the device comprises an upper and lower framework 3 and 4 oined together by further tubes 5.

The upper framework 3 1s rectangular in shape and the lower framework has six sides. Two of the sides 6 and 7 of the lower framework are rods and are shorter than the remaining sides and together with the appropriate one of the tubes which is indicated by reference numeral 8 By so constructing the lower framework the front portion thereof is wider than the rear, thus providing stability and preventing the tipping up of the device, whilst in use. The device, as shown, is mounted on caster wheels 9 and 1f deslred the wheels may be resiliently mounted on the device to prevent unnecessary vibration when travelling over rough ground.

Secured to the upper portion of the framework preferably on hooks 10 which form a continuation of one of the rods supporting the tubes, is a bucket-like seat 11 made from fabric and having apertures 12 through WhlCh a childs legs may be passed so that the child can not only sit in the seat but also can stand on the ground with its legs through the apertures to propel the device 2,695,049 Pfat'ented Nov. 23, 1954 silient members comprising strips of rubber 13 or covered springs so that when the child is sitting in the seat it may bounce up and down and thus provide amuse ment for the child.

If desired the rubber strips may be replaced by rigid members and the top edge of the seat supported by a fiexible, for example, rubber band.

By suspending the seat from the upper corners of the device the corners are held together diagonally, this having the effect of assisting in the holding together :of the upper part of thedevice.

The seat may be removed from the framework and suspendedfrom ropes of a swing by theresilientelements supporting the seat.

The seat is also provided with handles 14 so that by 'unhooking the resilient members 10 from the seator from the framework the child may be lifted from the framework and carried in the seat by 'means of'the handles.

If desired the front and side upper rails of the framework tnay have balls or large beads threaded thereon also for amusement of the child.

Since the part of each hook 10 which enters the corresponding tube 1 is slidable within the tube, a thumbscrew may be provided which engages a screw-threaded hole in the tube so that the height of the top framework above the floor may be adjusted by varying the extent to which the hooks enter the tubes 1, the hooks being held at the adjusted height by tightening the thumbscrew.

In order to give resilience to the frame the tubes may be in the form of stiff coil springs made from closely coiled high tensile steel wire.

It can thus be seen that there has been provided, in accordance with the present invention, a childs exercising device comprising an upper square frame and a lower hexagonal frame with fore and aft side elements parallel with fore and aft side elements of said upper frame but located forwards and rearwards respectively of said upper fore and aft frame elements.

The lengths of said upper and lower fore and aft elements are substantially equal, the remaining side elements of the lower hexagonal frame including two lateral side elements which diverge forwardly symmetrically with their front termini in juxtaposition to the vertical plane containing the upper frame front side element, said lateral side elements being joined to the front side element of the lower frame by the remaining two side elements of the lower frame which are relatively shorter than the other side elements. The device further includes strut elements joining the four corners of the upper frame to the rear corners of the lower frame and to the median parts of said shorter side elements of the base frame, a bucket-like seat suspended from and beneath the plane of said upper frame, anchorage means disposed at the corners of said upper frame, extensible ligatures secured to and diverging from the rim of said bucket-like seat to said anchorage means, a pair of leg holes in the bucketlike seat disposed on opposite sides of the fore and aft vertical plane common to the centers of said fore and aft frame members, and floor engaging runners carried by the lower frame.

Various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention and it is intended that such obvious changes and modifications be embraced by the annexed claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is:

1. A childs exercising device comprising an upper square frame and a lower hexagonal frame with fore and aft side elements parallel with fore and aft side elements of said upper frame but located forwards and rearwards respectively of said upper fore and aft frame elements, the length of said upper and lower fore and aft elements being substantially equal, the remaining side elements of the lower hexagonal frame including two lateral side elements which diverge forwardly symmetrically with their front termini in juxtaposition to the vertical plane containing the upper frame front side element, said lateral side elements being joined to the front side element of the lower frame which are relatively shorter than the other side elements, strut elements joining the four corners of the upper frame to the rear corners of the lower frame and to the median parts of said shorter side elements of the base frame, a bucket-like seat suspended from and beneath the plane of said upper frame, anchorage means disposed at the corners of said upper frame, extensible ligatures secured to and diverging from the rim of said bucket-like seat to said anchorage means, a pair of leg holes in the bucket-like seat disposed on opposite sides of the fore and aft vertical plane common to the centers of said fore and aft frame members, and floor engaging runners carried by the lower frame.

2. A childs exercising device according to claim 1, said upper frame comprising four metal tubes and four angle rods engaged in the ends of said tubes to form the corners of said upper frame, said struts comprising metal :tubes, connecting elements secured to the elbows of said .angle rods and inserted in the upper ends of said strut 'tubes and beyond said ends returned downwardly and inwardly relatively to said upper frame to serve as anchorage limbs for said bucket-like seat, said connecting elements receiving at their lower termini the upper ends of said extensible ligatures.

3. A childs exercising device according to claim 1,

the lower frame by the remaining two side elements of wherein said lower andtwo relatively shorter side elements, said elements comprising two metal rods bent near their ends and beyond said bent ends inserted in the adjacent ends of said front and lateral tubes, the ends of the rear metal tube and the rear ends of the lateral tubes being connected by corner-forming angle rods pushed into the said ends of such tubes, said rod members of the lower frame having oined to them substantially vertical short rods inserted in the lower ends of the struts.

References Cited in the file of this patent Number Number UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Clark Apr. 20, 1875 Shaw May 19, 1908 Hansburg Sept. 23, 1947 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Australia Feb. 16, 1934 Switzerland Apr. 16, 1943 Italy Aug. 25, 1938 Great Britain July 10, 1945 

